The West Bank Archipelago (NY Times)

[Editor’s note: “Detail from an illustration in which a fanciful map illustrates the current fragmentation of the West Bank. Areas currently under the control of the Palestinian Authority are represented as islands, divided by areas under Israeli control, represented by the sea”. Image by Julien Bousac/Le Monde diplomatique. Thanks Kellee!]

Republished from the New York Times.May 7, 2009, 8:02 am
By Robert Mackey

This week, leading Israeli, Palestinian and American officials have agreed that the creation of a Palestinian state on territory in the West Bank and Gaza is essential to peace in the Middle East. But spend any time looking at a map of the West Bank as it is today, or with any of the many different proposals for how that map might be redrawn to accommodate the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, and it becomes clear why any sensible mapmaker might choose to steer well clear of the challenge of drawing up that state.